Allen and Saunders Gee each other to win

Joel Sanders (left) and Laurence Allen.

Laurence Allen admitted he and Joel Saunders wound each other up to secure a dominant victory at the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball East qualifying event at Bush Hill Park Golf Club.

The Verulam Golf Club pairing posted an impressive 12 under par round of 58 to top the leaderboard and book their place in the final.

Only a 10 under par round from Ian Ellis (Gt Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club) and Andrew Pestell (Chelmsford Golf Club) came close.

They will join nine other qualifiers at the £33,000, BMW supported, Fourball Championship final which takes place at Whittlebury Park in Northamptonshire between August 16-18.

But Allen, Academy Managing Director at the St Albans Club for the past two years, and head professional Saunders had their own battle going on at the North London venue.

“This was the second time myself and Joel had played with each other,” said Allen.

“And he made a chirpy comment on the first tee saying ‘You didn’t make a birdie with me on the first occasion, are you going to make any today?’

“So I decided to chip with seven and he had five. That was a little bit of a gee up and it certainly did the trick.”

Allen has yet to play in a PGA Fourball Championship Final but is now looking toward to try and take that form on to Whittlebury Park.

“The back nine was a bit of a catalyst, we were putting the ball on the green and giving ourselves chances,” he said.

“To get seven birdies on the back nine was nice and we had chances on the other two that we didn’t take.

“We’d have taken seven under par at the start of the day so to finish 12 under par was a nice feat.

“I’d have been pretty disappointed to have shot 10 under and not won the regional qualifier.

“Joel’s played in this final before, but I haven’t. Now I’m really looking forward to it after this.”

The event also produced a hole in one from Wensum Valley Golf Club’s Tom Maxwell.

It was the Norwich player’s first of his career and came at the par three seventh hole.

And there was an Albatross for Muswell Hill Golf Club’s Donal Brennan at the par five six hole.

He and James Wood, of Enfield’s Crews Hill Golf Club, came fifth to make the final with an eight under par round of 62.